Timmons' Farewell Tour: Ultimate Team Player Set to Finish UW Career
Cheers, guys.
With that farewell salutation, Sam Timmons walked out of a University of Washington media room this week after spending time reflecting on his college career.
On Friday night, the senior from Dunedin, New Zealand, will likely play his final Huskies basketball game at Alaska Airlines Arena against the Washington State Cougars.
And, unless his team (13-15 overall, 3-12 Pac-12) finds some extra firepower or willpower, he'll likely play his final college game in Las Vegas in less than two weeks.
Cheers, guys.
Timmons, a 6-foot-11, 265-pound big man, soon will use up all of eligibility and move on, possibly to an overseas career somewhere.
He will leave the UW as not much more than a player who was used sparingly, though he's served as a starter when needed, pulling 60 opening-game introductions in 128 outings.
No, this guy will be remembered most for being one of the more engaging players to pull on a Huskies uniform, heavily accented and speaking eloquently at all times, as the last player standing in his recruiting class and as the final player connection for Lorenzo Romar to the program.
As devoted as he's been to the Huskies, Timmons explained how his initial exposure to them was somewhat comical.
Seattle?
"That was a new word for me," he said. "I hadn't heard of Seattle, let alone the University of Washington."
Timmons was pursued by Romar as this international player with a decided upside, a connection was made and the Kiwi committed before he'd even seen the campus. He handled some earlier overtures from Pittsburgh, but wasn't a widely recruited player.
In fact, basketball wasn't Timmons' No. 1 sport early on. It was something that came later because of his exceptional size.
"I wanted to be an All-Black and play rugby," he said, referring to his country's most revered team and sport.
In December 2015, Timmons and his father traveled to the city to look over this beckoning and sprawling educational institution for the first time.
"I couldn't believe this was a university facility," Timmons said. "We were both wide-eyed the whole time."
At the UW, he's received the full college basketball experience, having seen it from all sides.
He's had a high game of 13 points as a sophomore against Kennesaw State and a top rebounding effort of 12, the first time as a freshman against Western Kentucky. He averages a modest 2.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
He's capable of putting his mobile size to demonstrative use, wowing his new coach Mike Hopkins and his teammates with a two-hand reverse dunk in 2018 at USC, one that purposely came because his father was seated in the crowd.
"At the restaurant later we asked him, 'What got into you?' " the coach recounted.
"My dad asked for one," Timmons responded.
He's sat for long stretches of time, but appears to have regained a more extensive role over the past week with Hopkins deciding to use a bigger lineup. He's ready for whatever comes his way.
As a freshman, Timmons weathered a 13-game losing streak, the worst in school history; the firing of Romar, the coach who had brought him to the UW; and the loss of nearly an entire recruiting class because of the coaching change, plus another nine-game losing spell this season.
He never once considered giving up on the Huskies.
"I was able to be a part of a whole bunch of great players," Timmons said. "There was a part of turning it around; that aspect didn't change regardless of who the coach was. I never really considered leaving."
But now, he has no choice. By natural progression, it's time for him to go.
Cheers, guys.
